2018 Triumph Street Triple S/R/RS

We won’t lie: The agile, lightweight Street Triple with its 765cc three-cylinder engine is a Cycle World favorite, even winning 2017 Best Middleweight Streetbike honors. Triumph offers three levels of Street Triple: S (Showa suspension, gull wing-style swingarm, higher-spec tires); R (four riding modes, 5-inch TFT display, fully adjustable Showa suspension, Brembo M4.32 brake calipers); and RS (Brembo M50 brake calipers, Showa BPF fork, Öhlins STX40 shock, Track mode, lap timer, quickshifter, Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP rubber). All three are powered by the same three-cylinder 765cc engine, albeit with a claimed 112, 116, and 121 hp, respectively. Yet another version, the Street Triple R LRH, offers reduced suspension travel and a lower seat height.

Few motorcycles provide the feel and musical sound associated with three cylinders. As Technical Editor Kevin Cameron has noted, killer horsepower attracts but most of us enjoy a well-balanced motorcycle more than we do bikes with too much of everything. A triple—a Street Triple S, a Street Triple R, or, if your pockets are suitably deep enough, a Street Triple RS—might be just right.

Likes: Three levels of three-cylinder goodness

Dislikes: Foul weather? You're on your own.

Verdict: A British-built naked sportbike with worldwide appeal